Support for grain store (From Western Telegraph)

Support for grain store

Seven thousand tonnes of grain have been committed to a centralised processing store planned for the Port of Pembroke.

The Home Grown Cereals Authority is confident that there is enough support to get the proposal off the ground. It could open up opportunities for tapping into the Irish grain market, a country where there is a grain deficit.

In May, it launched a feasibility study to determine whether Pembrokeshires cereal growers would support the state-of-the art drying, processing and storage facility.

It will conclude at the end of this month but Julian Bell, who is heading the study for the Home Grown Cereals Authority, is already optimistic.

'We are still putting everything together but it is looking very positive,' he said. 'It is crucial that we get as much data as we can from farmers and others to see whether it can work on economic grounds. If that is the case then it will be up to others to take it forward.'

The HGCA is conducting the study in conjunction with the farmers co-operative group, Clynderwen and Cardiganshire Farmers Ltd. Sixty thousand tonnes of grain are currently produced in Pembrokeshire but much of this is grown by small farmers who cannot afford their own drying and storage facilities. They are forced to sell direct from the field when prices are lower because of a supply surplus.

A centralised storage facility could enable them to sell when prices are at a premium.

Tim Johns, county chairman of the National Farmers Union in Pembrokeshire, says it offers huge potential.

'I believe 30 farmers have already given their commitment. We really need to make this facility work. It is a key to keeping Pembrokeshire farming,' he says.